UMBC

Junior Katie Kelly

LONG BEACH, Calif.—The UMBC volleyball team opened its 2011 season Friday night, falling to No. 22 Long Beach State, 25-15, 25-12, 25-15 in the first day of the Mizuno Invitational at Walter Pyramid.

“Long Beach State has a rich tradition and is a tough first challenge of the season,” head coach Ian Blanchard said. “Even though there are some things we need to improve upon, I was happy with our effort tonight.”

Junior Katie Kelly (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar) led the Retrievers, hitting .625 with five kills, two blocks and no errors, while freshman Hannah Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) led the squad with nine kills in her Retriever debut.

Senior Allie Spaay (Kenosha, Wisc./Kenosha Tremper) had 21 assists, while sophomore Kat Lincalis (Halethorpe, Md./Towson) led UMBC with nine digs.

The first and third sets almost mirrored each other as the Retrievers and 49ers were in a tight battle throughout the first half of the sets, before Long Beach State pulled away. The 49ers never trailed in the second set.

The Beach was led by Janisa Johnson, who hit .684 with 13 kills and no errors.

The Retrievers return to action Saturday for the final day of the Mizuno Invitational when they face No. 7 Washington at noon before taking on Prarie View A&M at 5 p.m.